Pasta Salad with Israeli Couscous …also Called Ptimim

Israeli couscous, also called pearl couscous or ptitim, makes a great pasta salad. It’s called “couscous”, but isn’t what I think of when I think of couscous –it boils up into tiny pasta balls about the size of a blueberry. Toss pearl couscous into a salad with your favorite dressing and some fresh veggies and it makes a quick and healthy side dish, or even a full meal if you throw it on a bed of greens.

Israeli Couscous Pasta Salad Directions:

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add in the Israeli couscous. Salt and oil are not needed. Reduce heat down to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove thepot from the heat and strain the couscous. Rinse with cold water to halt the cooking process and to keep the pasta from becoming too soft.

Slice fresh veggies. Use the ones I have listed above or use your favorites–and especially use whatever veggies you have in the fridge that you need to get rid of. Whenever I make a big salad,it’s almost always to utilize ingredients that are gonna go bad if I don’t do something with them soon–it’s a win-win, I end up not wasting food and getting something healthy to eat.

uncooked Israeli couscous

In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. I like to use fresh lemon juice because it’s awesome. but it’s also great to keep lemons on hand for the fresh zest–lemon zest adds a nice zing to salads and dressings. If you don’t have fresh lemon on hand, substitute vinegar.

In a bowl, toss together the couscous, veggies, and dressing. If you’re going to be serving and eating it all right away, go ahead and add tomato, but if you’re going to refrigerate some or all of the salad for later, just wait and add the tomato when you’re serving (refrigerated tomatoes are no fun).

Israeli (pearl) couscous is great in these kinda salads. I often use quinoa in these types of dishes, but this couscous makes a nice change of pace, so give it a go if you’re regularly eating salads and need to mix things up a bit.

Give this Israeli couscous recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!

1 thought on “Pasta Salad with Israeli Couscous …also Called Ptimim”

Dear Chef Buck- I really look forward to your new postings. I can”t tell you how many of the recipes I’ve tried; there have been many, and my husband and I love them all. I really like your way of putting the ingredients together. It’s “to the point” and not drawn out. You’ve taught me quite a bit about how to use spices. Also, I like hearing the alternatives of ingredients a person can use in a dish if you don’t have what you’re using on hand. I do have to say though, your Indian dishes are superb!!! Especially the Chicken Tikki Masala! Sometime back, I had written to you about a dish I had eaten at my favorite Indian restaurant called Mushroom Mutter. The mushrooms are in a reddish orange sauce with other vegetables. I always tell my husband while eating this dish that it’s almost as good as a religious experience! I can’t find it in an Indian cookbook, and the owner of the restaurant is very secretive about divulging any info. It’s a side dish. If you come across a recipe, would you mind sharing it with your viewers? I look forward to your future videos. – Barb